Sunday, December 22, 2019

This Week's Notes: Coaches, Catcher, Depth Added & Pirates Potpourri

Stuff going on...

  • C Luke Maile, 28, signed a one-year/$900K major league deal (it's a split agreement worth $325K if he ends up in the minors) with the Pirates. The glove-first free agent had been with Jays and Rays. Maile hit .151 last year with a career .198 BA/51 OPS+. Both Ben Cherington and Derek Shelton have worked with him before.
  • The Post Gazette reported that the Bucs signed Oscar Marin, 37, as their pitching coach, taking Uncle Ray's old spot. He was the Texas Rangers’ bullpen coach after serving as the minor-league pitching coordinator with the Seattle Mariners from 2017-18. Marin spent over six years as an instructor in Texas’ farm system from 2010-16. Ass't pitching coach Justin Meccage,who was in the PC mix, will become the Pirates bullpen coach. (both moves were confirmed by the team)
Tarrik Brock - image Pittsburgh Pirates
  • Shelty then hired Tarrik Brock (he'll be 46 on Christmas) to be the first base, outfield and baserunning instructor/coach, replacing Kimera Bartee. Brock spent the past three seasons as the Dodgers’ Minor League outfield/baserunning coordinator and also coached for the Mariners, 'Stros and Friars.
  • The injury report, via MLB.com's Adam Berry: J-Bell, Archie & Starling should be 100% for camp, Gregory is on track to be although he's tossing at just 120' now and his shoulder is still being monitored, while OF Jason Martin and RHP Nick Burdi may not yet be at full speed in Florida. Jamo, Edgar Santana and Chad Kuhl are on schedule with their rehabs.
  • UT Jake Elmore re-signed with the Buccos on a MiLB deal; he got into 20 games, played four positions and batted .213 last year. IF Phillip Evans, 27, who last played (2B, 3B) in the MLB with the Mets in 2018, also signed a minor league deal w/the Bucs. He has a .241 BA in 61 big league at bats. And the more the merrier: OF Socrates Brito and LHP Miguel Del Pozo signed minor league contracts also. Brito, 27, is a speedster who played for the D-Backs and Blue Jays, batting .179 in the show with a 25%+ K rate. Del Pozo, also 27, got a taste of the bigs last year with the Angels and got swatted around, though he did whiff 11 batters in 9-1/3 MLB frames. All four got an invite to camp.
Jake is back - photo Pittsburgh Pirates
  • No surprise here: MLB.com selected each team's Player of the Decade; Cutch took the Bucco honors. He also made the site's All-MLB Team of the Decade.
  • Ol' Buccos moving around: C Erik Kratz signed w/the Yankees, RHP Edinson Volquez went to the Rangers and IF Phil Gosselin agreed with the Phils. All are minor league deals.
  • The Angels signed RHP Julio Teheran, 28, to a one-year/$9M deal; it was speculated that he might be on the Bucco radar. He was 10-11/3.81 for the Bravos last year.
  • If you think President Trump and the Democrats are having a tiff, you ain't seen nuthin' until you've checked out the MLB-MiLB war of words.

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